On-Device Portal
Encyclopedia
On-Device Portals allow mobile phone
users to easily browse, purchase and use mobile content
and services. An ODP platform enables operators to provide a consistent and branded on-device experience across their broadening portfolio of services and typically provides on-device catalogs of content for purchase, deep links to WAP portals, customer care functionality and rich media services such as full track music
, TV and video
.
A key benefit of on-device portals is the ability to target the user rather than the device itself. This personalized service delivery, coupled with the ability to be updated on a frequent basis by the operator – refining services or adding new content – makes ODPs an attractive proposition that has already proven successful in encouraging users to access mobile content. By enhancing the user experience
, ODPs improve customer satisfaction, reduce churn and in turn, drive higher data revenues.
On-Device Portals generally offer the following applications: Offline portal, store front, home-screen replacement and reporting function:
On-Device Portals can be targeted to a specific mobile operating system
or provide multi-platform support allowing operators to achieve a consistent, branded experience across of all devices whether they run on Symbian
(Symbian OS), Microsoft
(Windows Mobile), BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless), Java
or Research in Motion
(RIM) platforms. Some vendors have server-side components to their On-Device Portal offerings which are tied into operator billing systems that deliver features such as usage tracking and lifecycle management. On-Device Portals are not intended to replace the operating system (OS) or other aspects of the phone’s interface.
The term On-Device Portal was coined by the London-based ARCchart Research in 2001. In 2005, ARCchart estimated 10 million ODP-enabled units were in the marketplace
.
emerged in 2000, as operating systems and Java were beginning to be deployed on mobile handsets. One.Tel
launched smart on device applications using a combination of Java and SIMtoolkit technology in May 2000. In 2002, four vendors — ActiveSky, SurfKitchen, Action Engine and Trigenix - began developing ODP offerings. In March 2003 at CeBIT O2 demonstrated an ActiveSky powered O2 branded On-Device portal that was both user and operator (remotely) reconfigurable, that same year KDDI deployed an ActiveSky based solution. In 2003, operators including O2, Sonofon and ONE began to deploy ODP solutions. From 2001 to 2005, it was central to many MVNO solutions, as a more cost effective and customer-centric alternative to handset software variants or SIM toolkits, Virtuser developed many trials of these, including a pre-blackberry email service that used Bluetooth in buildings.
Since 2003, On-Device Portal technology has been embraced by mobile operators across the world to compliment WAP-based mobile data services and help operators deliver on the promise of mobile data services. Carriers expected the launch of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
(HSDPA), in which they had invested heavily, to drive robust average revenue per user
(ARPU) growth. But despite this investment, the mobile data services market still only represented 19% of global mobile service revenue in 2007. Several factors have been cited for the slow uptake in data services, but poor user experience, based on older browser-based WAP technology, is widely acknowledged as one of the leading reasons.
The browser-based mobile experience is considered difficult and complex, often requiring a user to click multiple times in order to navigate from browsing to downloading or purchasing content. Separately, WAP’s structure, which differs from HTML
, has made it difficult for content developers to build efficient content channels.
The On-device portal is also not without complications, supporting wide handset lists is a lot harder to manage than mobile web content, and updating major components is not just a case of re-publishing, but of redistributing applications. At the same time, while it is generally easy to test web content on a handful of browsers, portals need to be tested on nearly every handset which will be expected to use the on-device portal.
“When done properly, these experiences understand the task, the environment, and the audience.”
Data is still being collected as companies analyze how effective greater emphasis on user experience proves to be for operators. Orange Group, for example, doubled its download data ARPU after deploying a portal on its Signature devices.
As the ODP market matures it is expected to move beyond mass market services such as mobile TV
, music and content catalogs to provide an experience where the subscriber can choose from a broad range of services and content, personalized to their needs.
This change is being driven by operators’ desires to emulate the success of Web 2.0
by being able to offer a broader and more personalized range of services to the user. This shift in operators online portal strategies increases the emphasis on operators being able to quickly launch, measure and refine services, while offering users an intuitive way of browsing and searching a large catalogue of services.
Some vendors have started to incorporate the kind of functionality needed to support mobile Web 2.0 and as the market matures, idle screen access, mobile widget platforms and the ability to support a broad range of operator business models (subscription, transaction and advertising driven) will become imperative for all ODP solutions.
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
users to easily browse, purchase and use mobile content
Mobile content
Mobile content is any type of media which is viewed or used on mobile phones, like ringtones, graphics, discount offers, games, movies, and GPS navigation. As mobile phone use has grown since the mid 1990s, the significance of the devices in everyday life has grown accordingly...
and services. An ODP platform enables operators to provide a consistent and branded on-device experience across their broadening portfolio of services and typically provides on-device catalogs of content for purchase, deep links to WAP portals, customer care functionality and rich media services such as full track music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, TV and video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
.
A key benefit of on-device portals is the ability to target the user rather than the device itself. This personalized service delivery, coupled with the ability to be updated on a frequent basis by the operator – refining services or adding new content – makes ODPs an attractive proposition that has already proven successful in encouraging users to access mobile content. By enhancing the user experience
User experience
User experience is the way a person feels about using a product, system or service. User experience highlights the experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership, but it also includes a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such...
, ODPs improve customer satisfaction, reduce churn and in turn, drive higher data revenues.
On-Device Portals generally offer the following applications: Offline portal, store front, home-screen replacement and reporting function:
- Offline Portal - An application that allows the user to browse content categories and preview content free of charge through pre-cached content that doesn’t require a WAP connection and creates a mobile environment that blurs offline and online experiences.
- Store Front - A client-server application enabling the user to discover, preview and select cached content offline, before accessing it via a WAP link.
- Home-Screen Replacement - A dashboard function of the ODP client that replaces the handset’s home screen to provide zero click access to customized mobile content and services.
- Reporting Function - User analytics that allow operators to measure, refine and improve the delivery of data services by providing visibility into the way subscribers use and interact with their mobile devices.
On-Device Portals can be targeted to a specific mobile operating system
Mobile operating system
A mobile operating system, also known as a mobile OS, mobile software platform or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device or information appliance—similar in principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux distributions that controls a...
or provide multi-platform support allowing operators to achieve a consistent, branded experience across of all devices whether they run on Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
(Symbian OS), Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
(Windows Mobile), BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless), Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
or Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
(RIM) platforms. Some vendors have server-side components to their On-Device Portal offerings which are tied into operator billing systems that deliver features such as usage tracking and lifecycle management. On-Device Portals are not intended to replace the operating system (OS) or other aspects of the phone’s interface.
The term On-Device Portal was coined by the London-based ARCchart Research in 2001. In 2005, ARCchart estimated 10 million ODP-enabled units were in the marketplace
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
.
History of On-Device Portals
On-Device Portal technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
emerged in 2000, as operating systems and Java were beginning to be deployed on mobile handsets. One.Tel
One.Tel
One.Tel was a group of Australian based telecommunications companies, including principally the publicly listed One.Tel Limited established in 1995 soon after deregulation of the Australian telecommunications industry, most of which are currently under external administration by court appointed...
launched smart on device applications using a combination of Java and SIMtoolkit technology in May 2000. In 2002, four vendors — ActiveSky, SurfKitchen, Action Engine and Trigenix - began developing ODP offerings. In March 2003 at CeBIT O2 demonstrated an ActiveSky powered O2 branded On-Device portal that was both user and operator (remotely) reconfigurable, that same year KDDI deployed an ActiveSky based solution. In 2003, operators including O2, Sonofon and ONE began to deploy ODP solutions. From 2001 to 2005, it was central to many MVNO solutions, as a more cost effective and customer-centric alternative to handset software variants or SIM toolkits, Virtuser developed many trials of these, including a pre-blackberry email service that used Bluetooth in buildings.
Since 2003, On-Device Portal technology has been embraced by mobile operators across the world to compliment WAP-based mobile data services and help operators deliver on the promise of mobile data services. Carriers expected the launch of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access is an enhanced 3G mobile telephony communications protocol in the High-Speed Packet Access family, also dubbed 3.5G, 3G+ or turbo 3G, which allows networks based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity...
(HSDPA), in which they had invested heavily, to drive robust average revenue per user
Average revenue per user
Average revenue per user usually abbreviated to ARPU is a measure used primarily by consumer communications and networking companies, defined as the total revenue divided by the number of subscribers....
(ARPU) growth. But despite this investment, the mobile data services market still only represented 19% of global mobile service revenue in 2007. Several factors have been cited for the slow uptake in data services, but poor user experience, based on older browser-based WAP technology, is widely acknowledged as one of the leading reasons.
The browser-based mobile experience is considered difficult and complex, often requiring a user to click multiple times in order to navigate from browsing to downloading or purchasing content. Separately, WAP’s structure, which differs from HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
, has made it difficult for content developers to build efficient content channels.
The On-device portal is also not without complications, supporting wide handset lists is a lot harder to manage than mobile web content, and updating major components is not just a case of re-publishing, but of redistributing applications. At the same time, while it is generally easy to test web content on a handful of browsers, portals need to be tested on nearly every handset which will be expected to use the on-device portal.
Mobile User Experience for On-Device Portals
As the market for mobile services has emerged, it has focused on technology until early 2008. But handset vendors and operators are moving quickly from technology to focus on the user experience as the best way to improve market penetration.“When done properly, these experiences understand the task, the environment, and the audience.”
Data is still being collected as companies analyze how effective greater emphasis on user experience proves to be for operators. Orange Group, for example, doubled its download data ARPU after deploying a portal on its Signature devices.
On-Device Portal User Categories
On-Device Portals target four main user categories:- Consumers, who demand an improved interface for their mobile experience
- Operators, who want to improve ARPUAverage revenue per userAverage revenue per user usually abbreviated to ARPU is a measure used primarily by consumer communications and networking companies, defined as the total revenue divided by the number of subscribers....
with richer media content - Content and media providers who want to monetize their offerings in the mobile world
- Handset manufacturers, who want technology frameworks to help customize handsets for their customers
- Consumers who want to extend their web based social networking experience onto the mobile device (Facebook, BeBo, MySpace etc.) or share / back-up content from their mobile device to the web (Nokia Ovi, Flikr mobile etc.)
The Future for On-Device Portals
ARCchart expects that number of On-Device Portals licenses to grow to 1.1 billion by 2009.As the ODP market matures it is expected to move beyond mass market services such as mobile TV
Mobile TV
Mobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format...
, music and content catalogs to provide an experience where the subscriber can choose from a broad range of services and content, personalized to their needs.
This change is being driven by operators’ desires to emulate the success of Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
by being able to offer a broader and more personalized range of services to the user. This shift in operators online portal strategies increases the emphasis on operators being able to quickly launch, measure and refine services, while offering users an intuitive way of browsing and searching a large catalogue of services.
Some vendors have started to incorporate the kind of functionality needed to support mobile Web 2.0 and as the market matures, idle screen access, mobile widget platforms and the ability to support a broad range of operator business models (subscription, transaction and advertising driven) will become imperative for all ODP solutions.
On-device portal vendors
- Action Engine
- ARCchart Research
- Abaxia
- Adobe SystemsAdobe SystemsAdobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
Macromedia FlashCast - Aradiom
- AricentAricentAricent Group is a global innovation and technology services company. The company develops software and provides technology services to application, infrastructure, and service providers with operations in 19 countries worldwide....
Celltop - Cibenix
- Mastmobile Media Pvt. Ltd. (India)
- Embience Inc.(US)
- Medio Systems
- MobileScope
- mobileFX
- MobinexMobinexMobinex is a provider of mobile applications and on-device solutions, dedicated to increasing the revenues of mobile operators, content providers, media companies and enterprises since 2002...
- Mobisy
- MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
SCREEN3 - mPortal
- mPortico
- NellymoserNellymoserNellymoser, Inc. is a privately held company that specializes in mobile computing. Its main products include the Nellymoser Platform and Media On-Demand, Music Companion & Infotainment On-Demand Mobile Advantage Packs.- Corporate history:...
- Nokia Content Discoverer
- Onskreen
- OnMobileOnMobileOnMobile Global Limited is India’s largest value-added service company. The company offers contest management, content aggregation and distribution, voice short codes, mCommerce solutions, missed call alerts, multimedia push services, mobile advertising, mobile search, ringtones, ringback tones, ...
- OpenwaveOpenwaveOpenwave is a software company. Based in Redwood City, California, USA, Openwave is historically significant in its introduction of the Mobile Internet and its expansion into a large successful mobile software supplier in the mobile telecom sector...
- Opera Platform
- on-deviceportal.com
- Planet41 Mobi-Venture Ltd.Planet41Planet41 Mobi-Venture Ltd. is an India-based Mobile Value Added Services company, originally incorporated as "Planet 41 Entertainment Limited" in the year 2006. The company is head-quartered in Mumbai, India. Planet41 is a Mobile content provider. It is also an applications provider for 2G as...
- QualcommQualcommQualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
(uiOne) - RefreshMobile
- SPB SoftwareSPB SoftwareSPB Software Inc. is a division of Yandex, the leading Russian IT company which operates the largest search engine in Russia. A global company developing mobile solutions for OEM mobile device manufacturers, mobile carriers, smartphone, tablet, and end users, SPB develops software running on...
- Streamezzo
- SurfKitchen
- Virtuser
- Widgem
- ZenZui
- Samsung
See also
- 3G3G3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
- Average Revenue Per UserAverage revenue per userAverage revenue per user usually abbreviated to ARPU is a measure used primarily by consumer communications and networking companies, defined as the total revenue divided by the number of subscribers....
- Advanced Mobile Phone SystemAdvanced Mobile Phone SystemAdvanced Mobile Phone System was an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s...
- GSM
- Handheld Device Markup LanguageHandheld Device Markup LanguageThe Handheld Device Markup Language is a markup language intended for display on handheld computers, information appliances, smartphones, etc.. It is similar to HTML, but for wireless and handheld devices with small displays, like PDA, mobile phones and so on.It was originally developed in about...
- High-Speed Downlink Packet AccessHigh-Speed Downlink Packet AccessHigh-Speed Downlink Packet Access is an enhanced 3G mobile telephony communications protocol in the High-Speed Packet Access family, also dubbed 3.5G, 3G+ or turbo 3G, which allows networks based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity...
- High-Speed Uplink Packet AccessHigh-Speed Uplink Packet AccessHigh-Speed Uplink Packet Access is a 3G mobile telephony protocol in the HSPA family with up-link speeds up to 5.76 Mbit/s. The name HSUPA was created by Nokia...
- Java programming language
- Location-based serviceLocation-based serviceA Location-Based Service is an information or entertainment service, accessible with mobile devices through the mobile network and utilizing the ability to make use of the geographical position of the mobile device....
- Mobile advertisingMobile advertisingMobile advertising is a form of advertising via mobile phones or other mobile devices. It is a subset of mobile marketing.- Overview :...
- Mobile device
- Mobile developmentMobile developmentMobile application development is the process by which application software is developed for small low-power handheld devices such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones...
- Mobile network operatorMobile network operatorA mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...
- Mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
- Mobile TVMobile TVMobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format...
- Personal digital assistantPersonal digital assistantA personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
- Qualcomm Brew (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless - BREW)
- Short message serviceShort message serviceShort Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
- SmartphoneSmartphoneA smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
- Widget
- WiMAXWiMAXWiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...
- Wireless Application ProtocolWireless Application ProtocolWireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
- Wireless internet service provider